The Roman Way
by Ramzes
Summary: Argo II is ready, Unfortunately, Romans are not quite ready for Greeks. They just do things the Roman way. And Annabeth and the others are not exactly welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All belongs to the wonderful Rick Riordan.**

The Roman Way

"This way," Jason yelled. "Here!"

Leo turned the steering-wheel, taking him for his word. Piper, however, looked at him doubtfully. "Err, Jason," she said. "Are you sure about this?"

He looked at her and dazzled her with a brilliant smile… or maybe a mad grin, it was hard to tell. "Sure? Of course I'm sure!" he cried. "This is my place and I should know…"

She felt as if her heart had been squeezed by an icy hand. She had never seen him like this – so happy, almost ecstatic. Nothing in Camp Half-Blood, nothing in their relationship had ever made him smile like this – as if he had been freed from invisible chains, as if the most wonderful thing would happen any moment now. How could he not see that what awaited them was something to be not eagerly anticipated but feared?

Of course he saw! But obviously, the feeling of being near home was just too strong for him to overcome.

He was practically turning into a stranger.

Multiple screams pulled her out of her misery. Annabeth, Clarisse, Will, and Malcolm were staring terrified at the row of solid rocks that they were flying towards. Leo looked as if he wanted nothing more than undo the course taken. He, in fact, did try, but Jason grabbed his wrists and preventing him from navigating the steering wheel.

"Keep going!" he commanded and they approached the rocks…

…which were no rocks at all. Piper blinked and tried to clear her head of the Mist. At second sight, the picture became clearer: a wild coast with many rocks and no sand. But it was certainly a coast and not a bunch of rocks.

"How…?" Piper started and didn't finish. Of course. The Roman camp was hidden, the same way Camp Half-Blood was. At their coming near, the Mist had dissipated, letting them see the beach.

She shivered. It looked so desolate and severe, nothing like the lovely sand gently lapped by the ocean that she had become used to in Long Island. Here, it was all jagged rocks, brown trees, and two or three vultures in the air. If she didn't know better, she'd never guess that this was California.

Still, Jason could not look away. In this moment, he fully realized how afraid he had been that he'd never see his home again, that he wouldn't really remember... But now memories were coming back, flooding him with the best moments of his life… as well as the worst ones. His first fight with Dakota, freshly arrived at the camp. His first quest. His first monster. The poisoned lake at Mount Tam and the demigods, fighting, and screaming, and dying. The Titan Krios' golden helmet and the ferocity of his attack. The campfire. Touching Christine's brow after the battle, while she lay sprawled on the grass, without realizing that she was already dead – she looked as if she just needed an Apollo healer, her skin was still so pink. Those first special looks he and Reyna exchanged. The fresh aroma of Reyna's long golden hair when he buried his face in it. Lupa's fond growling.

It felt so great to be here. Camp Half-Blood was a nicer place, surely, but it was not his place. His new friends were terrific but they were not the friends he had grown up with.

_I am home_, he thought. _Finally, I am home_.

His eyes sought out the silhouette hidden behind one of the rocks – the coast was guarded at all times. There was someone there but they were too far for Jason to make out the face.

And then everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong.

There was a sudden wind – no, a real whirlwind that started hurling Argo II up and down, and then sucking it in a spiral. Everyone screamed. Annabeth lost her balance and fell, rolling over all the way from bow to stern. Will tried to stop her but the fierce wind just crashed him down, almost on top of her, although he managed to direct his body towards the side of the hull. His head hit the wood so hard that Jason winced and wondered whether the Apollo healer would need some healing himself. Then, he hurried to cross Annabeth's path and failed; probably, the only reason the wind didn't knock him down was the fact that he was a son of Jupiter.

The steering wheel slipped out of Leo's hands. Everybody screamed again when the whirlwind hit them, sending them down to the sea that was boiling against them. The ship seemed to be in a whirlwind of its own: all around them, all they could see was a nice silky sea.

"Get us out!" Malcolm yelled and tried to put his own words in motion. Together with Leo, they managed to grab the steering wheel once again while Jason was doing all he could to influence the air and soften the wind. Clarisse and Chris ran to the mast to get the ropes down.

After what felt like an eternity but in reality, probably lasted no more than ten minutes, they managed to get Argo II a few hundred yards back. It was as if they had suddenly found themselves in another dimension where they could enjoy a nice sunny day.

Everyone too ka deep breath. Piper ran to bring some ambrosia for Annabeth and Will. Fortunately, that turned out to be enough.

"So, all here?" Jason finally asked. "All in one piece?"

Annabeth and Malcolm both glared at him. He could see their Athena brains working busily.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked sullenly. "A part of the camp defense that you hadn't remembered yet?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But that was never a part of the defensive magic here, I am sure of that. This is… a new invention."

That did not sit well with the two Athena campers. In all honesty, it did not sit well with Jason too. He could not think of even one nice reason for this new invention to take its place.

"The beach was supposed to be invisible to mortals," he decided to explain, as if the others did not already know that. "But now it seems it just… rejects anyone who comes near. Maybe it's simply for newcomers."

But _he_ was not a newcomer. Jason frowned and decided to not think about that for the time being.

"Is there another entrance to camp?" Piper asked.

"Yes, there is," he said. "But maybe there is a faster way…"

And before the others could ask him what this way was, he flew upwards in the air and headed for the coast, praying to his dad that the whirlwind would not suck him in and that the lookout was some of the old campers and not a newbie that had never seen him face to face.

His first prayer was answered, partly. There was no whirlwind this time. Still, there was an invisible wall of air that Jason would have hit with full force, had he not decided to be cautious. Simply put, he could go no further. He flew a few yards back and came back. Same result.

The lookout actually came out of his hiding place, shading his eyes and squinting at him. Jason felt an enormous smile splitting his face. Dakota.

"Kota!" he yelled.

Dakota, too, recognized him and shouted something, but obviously, the sound could not get through the ward. They both realized it almost immediately. Still, Dakota pointed at the ground, as if he wanted Jason to come to him. Jason shook his head and indicated that he was obstructed. Instead, he made a sweeping motion with his hand and after a few moments of contemplation, Dakota left his sword on the ground and waded into the ocean. The wall was too far away and the water was deep, so he swam the last half mile. Jason let himself fall and sink into the water. A few moments later, his friend was next to him.

And oh, what rejoicing and shouting, and hugging amidst the ocean there was!

"So glad to see you alive and well, man!" Dakota exclaimed. "We hoped for the best, but it's completely another thing to have you actually here."

"It's good to be here," Jason said and shivered – water was not exactly his element. "Listen, let's go to the ship…"

"Is this the Greek ship?" Dakota asked.

"So you know?" Jason inquired cautiously, then gave up caution. This was Dakota, one of his oldest friends. They could not afford to beat around the bush. The fate of the Western civilization was at stake. "Is he alive?"

"Percy Jackson?" Dakota asked. "Yes."

Jason sighed with relief. "Good."

He had been afraid that this might not be the case – more afraid that he had cared to admit to Annabeth and the others at Camp Half-Blood.

"Come on," he said. "I'll fly you there."

Dakota did not look eager but he nodded.

Three minutes later they were already on the deck of Argo II and Jason's ecstasy disappeared. The air was cracked with tension that neither Dakota nor the Greeks knew how to handle. The mere proximity of the Greek demigods and the Roman one charged everything with battle mood, although they had not come with this intention and, obviously, Dakota did not really want a fight either.

Jason cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "let me make the introductions."

"No," Clarisse interrupted. "Let _me_ take safety measures."

She gave Dakota a stern look – not a glare, by Jason's standards, but unfortunately, Dakota was not familiar with Clarisse's body language, so he was bound to draw the wrong conclusion, which, of course, he did. Juno was really one smart goddess. If that was the result of an informed meeting by two sides, unwilling to continue the conflict, Jason shuddered to think what would have happened, had they met on fully hostile terms. Without his memories taken, he would have surely made a hell of a mess in his first days at Camp Half-Blood, which was by far the more peaceful one. Holy Jupiter, how had this Percy Jackson guy made it so far? _He must be really something big_, Jason thought, _to survive the revealing of the truth._ What had Percy done to Jason's fellow campers to make them spare his life?

"Give me the knife that you're hiding in your sleeve," Clarisse said. How on earth had she detected it so fast?

"Not bloody likely," Dakota growled.

The girl sighed. "Okay but you'd better not have me see you using it."

"Okay," he agreed. "You won't see me."

She glared. All in all, the two of them understood each other finely. Jason wanted to laugh.

"This is Dakota Spears, son of Mars," he announced. "Dakota, this is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

Dakota nodded to her but did not shake her hand. Jason introduced the others. Dakota suddenly sucked his breath at being introduced to Malcolm and Jason suddenly knew the reason. A forgotten memory flooded his mind – a boy almost the same age as Malcolm, with the same cool gray eyes. Jerry Rogers, son of Minerva. A friend of his. A hero killed at Mount Tam. A memory buried so deep, never awakening, not once in al those months.

"Annabeth, Percy is at the camp," Jason said as soon as they finished with the introductions, and her face lit up. Jason had never been attracted to Minerva type of girls, the ones who had _I am smarter than thou _all but written on their face, and still… _When she smiles like this, she could almost be a beauty_, he thought.

"Is he okay?" Annabeth turned to Dakota. "He isn't… harmed?"

He raised an eyebrow. "We haven't had a son of Neptune in ages. Of course he is unharmed," he assured her. "Mostly."

Fortunately, she did not ask what that 'mostly' was. Truth be told, Annabeth did not trust him to provide her with accurate information. She would make her mind as soon as she saw Percy.

"Did he regain his memory?" she asked instead.

Dakota nodded. "He did. And Lord Neptune paid us a visit. He didn't tell us much…"

"Of course he didn't," Will muttered. 'It would be just too nice if gods did."

"But he gave us the basic outline of what's been going on," Dakota continued. "That's the reason you're still alive. Normally, I would have alerted the others as soon as I saw your ship and realized that you were not fooled by the Mist."

It was all so strange. No one could define whether they were talking like allies, temporary united enemies, or not united at all. Jason wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Yeah, about that," he said. "What's this new ward, Kota? It didn't use to be here."

Dakota actually looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, it's a new supplement," he acknowledged. "It is meant to guard camp against all odds."

Annabeth and Malcolm looked at each other. Of course they had already worked it all out. So had Jason, but he had not wanted to admit it. "Am I shut out of camp, Kota?" he asked softly.

His friend didn't look him in the eye. "I'm afraid it was specifically designed by Vestal Virgins, Jason," he said. "Vestal Virgins and Lupa. It would repel anyone who isn't a true Roman at heart and spirit."

Jason sucked his breath in. That was what he had feared. He had truly become a mix – a Roman with just enough Greek in him to prevent him from entering. His hand involuntarily reached for Piper's. She squeezed back, calming him down. Then, something else that Kota had said sprung to his mind.

"And Lupa shut me out deliberately?" he asked. "You told her about Percy and she let these wards in place, so I could not reach camp?"

"Not exactly."

"Not exactly," Jason repeated. He didn't understand. Then, suddenly, he did.

"You guys didn't tell Lupa?" he asked, alternating between disbelief and anger. "Are you _crazy_?"

"We deemed it wiser not to tell her… yet."

Jason could not believe it. No, he truly, really couldn't believe it. Now, Dakota and the others – Jason had no doubts that Reyna and Bobby, at least, were also in it; nothing could possibly happen to Kota without these two poking their noses in, - so now Dakota and the others would have to tell Lupa, deal with her anger for keeping her in the dark, suffer their punishment and _still_ convince her that it was a marvelous idea to collaborate with their enemy of how many, two thousand years? Then, they had to convince the other campers before Argo II could come to anchor safely. And they needed to do it speedily. The bloody solstice was coming near.

Piper squeezed his hand tighter but even that did not help.

"So, how are we going to convince Lupa?" he asked aloud.

"After the fact," Dakota said reluctantly. "Valdez, step off. It seems I'll have to take the steering wheel. The ward might just let _me_ in."

"And then Lupa will be faced with a fact, instead of losing time to persuade her in advance" Annabeth said and nodded approvingly. "A good plan."

Jason was not so sure. The plan might be good for the rest of them, but for Dakota, it might result in something highly unwanted. "Are you sure of that, Kota?"

Dakota smiled tightly. "Absolutely. Valdez, I said step off."

Leo did step off, displeasured. Dakota took his place.

"Well," he announced, "welcome to Rome, Greeks."

And he steered them right into the whirlwind.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Me? Not Rick Riordan. Don't own anything._

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot.**** Sorry for not updating for so long, I had an accident and I am not quite recovered yet. But I can write now and I'm glad.**

Chapter 2

_Half an hour later…_

"Take your spear down!" Dakota hissed at Clarisse. He had not even looked at her but he knew she must have her weapon pointed, ready to attack. In her place, he certainly would have.

Clarisse glared at his back. Truth be told, she had almost decided it would be wise to take the electric spear down – she had not meant to take it out at all, it was just her instinct – but there was no way she was doing it now, after that Roman brute had told her to. Besides, there was a formation advancing on them now. She had read about it in her books of war and she was a bit impressed to see it for real now. A Roman formation. Not that she would admit being impressed, of course.

"Take the spear down, Clarisse," Annabeth said firmly. Now, that was something that couldn't be downplayed. Annabeth was their leader, for now. So Clarisse did take the spear down.

Unsheathed swords awaited them in eager hands. Arrows were ready to fly out. Not exactly the friendliest welcome. Every hope that they would be welcome died as they were watching. Of course, Dakota Spears had told them that the only ones who had been told about the switch had been the heads of the cabins, as well as Jason's closest friends. That meant that all the other Romans had no idea what to make out of them – a bunch of armed kids appearing where no demigods other than Romans themselves should be appearing.

It seemed that everyone's thoughts were traveling along the same lines. "I hope they take it better than our people," Leo muttered.

"They won't," Jason assured him. "But they won't attack… for now."

A girl stepped out in front of them and headed for the newcomers. She wore shining white armour and her face, otherwise quite pretty, was set in firm attention. Reyna Archer, of course. Dakota Spears had told them about the new Praetor elected in Jason's absence. She looked at Jason, then Dakota. Then Jason again. He was staring back with what Clarisse thought was a mix of friendliness and caution. Piper, though, gritted her teeth – she had seen something that made her think of her first weeks with Jason… their first real weeks, anyway. She had always thought that there was another girl at the Roman camp. Now she could feel that she had finally met her rival.

The girl looked at Dakota. "Explain." Her voice was cold and metallic.

"What we expected happened," he said. "The Greeks are here."

She paled a little more, swallowed hard. Piper could say that the Romans hadn't expected their arrival, not really.

"I can see that," the girl said. "What I mean is, obviously you led them here. Why, Dakota?"

"I asked him to," Jason put in, and she glared at him.

"Oh did you do so?" Still, she was talking in a soft voice, as not to be overheard by her fellow campers. Now, she looked at Annabeth, having unmistakably singled her out as the leader. "Who sent you here? Lord Neptune? Lady Juno?"

"She. Hera," Annabeth said. Her wish not to spoil things with the Romans from the very beginning was clear in the way she managed to spell out even the queen of the heaven without venom.

"She pulled a switch…" Jason started and she cut him off.

"Yes, it was Percy. We know about that… but we're a number of people. I suggest you do the explaining. Now," she added, looking at the other campers. Their displeasure was evident. Not that any of them would let themselves act upon it without orders, of course – they were way too disciplined for that.

She raised her voice. "Percy Jackson!" she called out, and a guy stepped out from the Roman lines. He was not what Piper had expected, not at all. For one, he didn't look larger than life. He was nice but not strikingly handsome. He looked healthy but not extraordinary strong. H certainly looked wary, though. And his eyes were amazing. She had never met someone who actually had sea-green eyes.

A part of Piper – a part she wanted to suppress and shove as far away in the back of her mind as she could – wanted to see him run towards Annabeth, take her in his arms and say that he had missed her, that he had wanted to die without her. Another part, though, approved of his caution – he had no idea what was going on, so it was wise to be careful, let alone the tiny detail that it would not sit well with the Romans to see their newfound amnesiac making it out with one of the newcomers who shouldn't have been here at all.

Instead, he stopped in front of them. "I've been waiting for you," he said simply. His smile was so warm and sincere that Piper blinked. Somehow, he had turned into a handsome boy. Someone whom she could like.

Reyna turned to her fellow Romans and raised her voice. "Our friends here came because we need to be united in the greatest danger the Western civilization has yet to meet," she announced.

"What, again?" someone muttered and Piper smiled. She had heard these same words by a Greek demigod at home. But the prevalent silence somehow made her anxious. It was not normal for a bunch of teens to be so self-controlled, only occasionally sucking their breath in or whistling while Reyna was explaining the situation to them.

"And so, as you see," she finished, "we need to stick together. If we want to resist Gaea and her most frightening children, we have to forget the old grudges and look toward the future. We have to…"

"Grudges?" someone called out. "Two millennia of Greeks never letting us be and you call it grudges? I'd use a stronger word myself."

Reyna swallowed – something she really shouldn't have done. Like wolves smelling blood on their prey, the Romans started asking questions – questions so harsh that she blanched at the sheer animosity of them, questions that she simply didn't know the answers to, questions that implied, to say it plainly, that she didn't know what she was talking about, that she was deluded. Jason tried to take the word but his fellow campers simply ignored him while continuing to present, in perfect order, their objections to this new turn of events.

Things were quickly getting out of hand. Percy Jackson opened his mouth, preparing to speak. Piper looked at him with horror. That was the last thing they needed now. In fact, it would be better if the Romans forgot that Percy Jackson existed, for a few days at least. Fortunately, Annabeth placed her hand over his and shook her head. Then, she looked at Piper and the two exchanged a grim smile. Piper was about to start speaking – Charmspeaking – when the crowd gasped aloud. Piper did, too, gaping at the bright halo that had suddenly appeared behind Reyna. It was like the sun itself had come to embrace her, kiss her, burn her, and yet, she was still standing. _If I didn't know she was an Apollo kid, that would have been a dead giveaway_, Piper thought.

Silence fell. There could be no more convincing sign that Reyna was telling the truth. The problem was, no camper liked that truth…

…and when the bright ball of light disappeared, it became obvious that the giant she-wolf that had padded softly from her cave to meet them did not like it either.

"So," Lupa growled, "though this is very interesting, Reyna, I've got another question and it is an even more interesting one. But first, why wasn't I told about this new… development?"

Reyna suddenly looked so pale, Piper actually felt sorry for her. Jason made a movement as if he wanted to go to her.

Well, Piper did not feel so sorry anymore. She had to restrain herself from glaring at her boyfriend.

Reyna looked at Jason. At Percy. At Dakota Spears who actually made a step toward her as if to protect her. Then, she braced herself and looked at the giant she-wolf. "I decided not to tell you," she stated in a steady voice.

Lupa's growl turned lower, more menacing. Then, it stopped. "You were within your rights as a Praetor," she acknowledged, then heaved a wolfish sigh. "Sometimes, I forget you pups grow up so fast. In the blink of an eye..."

The effect was immediate. If Lupa didn't mind being lied to by omission, surely no camper had the right to complain, so no one did.

The she-wolf had not finished, though. "I still want to know how they managed to break through our wards," she said.

"I brought them in," Dakota said.

She shot him a look that had chilled all of them hundreds of times when they were children.

"Without consulting anyone in advance?"

"Without that," he confirmed in a firm voice.

"What is your reasoning?

He met her eye glare for glare. "I decided it was the best course of action."

The valley gave a collective gasp. Never in the two millennia of Roman history had a demigod answered so boldly, seizing prerogatives that he had no right to. Even the Praetor couldn't just smuggle anyone through the wards.

Piper heard Jason's hiss of breath next to her. "Kota, you fool," he muttered and stepped forward. "It was my doing," he claimed aloud. "I made Dakota do it. He didn't want to but I ordered him…"

It was a lie through his teeth and everyone knew it. Jason no more had authority to order anything to Dakota, or anyone, for that matter. Malcolm who was near enough caught his eye and firmly shook his head. Fortunately, Jason listened and kept silent before he could make the situation worse by claiming that had somehow managed to convince Dakota that he had had, in fact, some authority left. He had already given his contribution to the conversation and it was more than enough.

Lupa's eyes shone menacingly. "So," she demanded, "you knowingly went against camp rules?"

The only thing that could, to some extent, remedy the situation, was full honesty.

"Yes, I did."

Lupa was silent, as was everyone else. Finally, Reyna spoke harshly, "Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?"

_Are we __in court here_, Piper wondered. According to Jason's sober expression, they were.

Dakota shook his head.

For a moment, Reyna stared right ahead, hating what she was about to do. Then, her eyes filled with cold resolve. "Very well. You will have your punishment. Jason, take his shirt off."

But Dakota shook Jason's hand aside and undressed himself, then knelt on the ground. At Reyna's nod, a boy and a girl stepped forward and took him by the hands.

"What's going on?" Piper heard Annabeth whisper. "Percy, what are they going to do?"

"Be quiet," he whispered back. "Hush. You'll only make it worse."

Reyna glared at them, then looked back at Jason. "Hazel," she said, "bring the whip."

Did they really have whips here? To Piper's horror, they did. What were these Romans made of? Who did they use these whips upon – the pegasi?

Then, to her even greater horror, Jason took the whip from the outstretched left hand of a girl and raised it high. Piper opened her mouth to scream but took a hold of herself.

Jason took the whip out without even trying to softening the blow, then again and again. The skin broke and blood trickled in red streaks.

There was only silence, everyone staring hard at the two boys – the punished one and the one doing the punishment.

Piper counted the blows. Six. Seven. Eight. She wanted Jason to do something, to soften the blows. He did not. With her rational mind, she knew he couldn't, actually – it was a show for the spectators, an assurance that the Roman way was still in effect; with the not so rational part if her brain, she remembered the stories Jason had told her about this camp. Dakota had always been included – he was a mate, a best friend, almost a brother. He had done them the favour of bringing them in – and that was his reward?

Twelve. Thirteen.

Why wasn't Dakota screaming? Why wasn't he yelling in pain? He only writhed in the arms of the other two, trying his best not to give up.

Fourteen. This time, Dakota let out a hoarse scream and Jason winced as if he were the one who was being whipped. But he did not let go. The boy and girl who were holding Dakota looked just as impassive. Reyna was staring straight ahead. The other Romans did not move.

A new lash and then another one, and then, finally, the punishment of twenty strokes was over. Reyna announced that there would be some talks between the head counselors and their Greek guests and formally discharged anyone. Lupa had already disappeared. The two who had been holding Dakota were trying to lift him up and Jason hurried to help. No one moved to stop Reyna when she, too, made her way to them. Piper stared blankly ahead and startled when she felt someone's presence near her. Percy Jackson, with the glaring Annabeth at his side.

"Come on, Wise Girl," he said. "Let's go somewhere else. I want to talk to you."

But Annabeth looked as shaken as Piper felt. Percy sighed. "They had to do it," he said. "Otherwise, there would have been a great turmoil in camp. Ask Dakota when he wakes up and he'll tell you the same thing. It was the lesser evil."

She did not look convinced. But then, Percy laid his hand on her arm and said softly, "I've missed you, Annabeth. Come on, let's go somewhere else and talk."

She still looked doubtful but she followed. How could she not? She had missed him so much. And they obviously knew each other so well, Percy knowing exactly what to tell her to make her agree. Piper stared after them and felt incredibly lonely. She felt as if she didn't know Jason any more. It was as if he had turned into a stranger – as bad as that cold-hearted Reyna!

Jason and the other boy carefully lifted Dakota. It was easier to carry him between them, touching him as little as possible. Reyna walked at their side and she and Jason started a whispered, but furious quarrel. She looked accusing and he looked apologetic. Piper's hatred for the girl grew.

She slowly followed the others to a cabin that she immediately recognized as infirmary. Dakota was already lying on his stomach in the white sheets of a bed with Reyna hovering over him, working busily to heal his injuries with whatever supplies they had – why didn't she use her powers was beyond Piper. She bossed the others around – Jason, the boy and girl who had held Dakota immobile – and they rushed to obey, bringing water and medicines to her. Now, there were no stony faces – just alarm and efficiency.

Now Piper saw the effects of the punishment and felt sick. Dakota's body, from shoulders to knees, was a mess of tangled gaping gashes. A wound. And while Jason and Bobby, as Piper heard the other boy being called, were muttering curses at their bad luck, turning Dakota this way and that, and the two girls – Reyna and Gwen – cleaned his wounds, pale and grim-faced, Hazel was the only one who was crying.

* * *

><p><strong>A. N. Not a nice chapter, I know, but that's how I see it. For anyone interested in my version of the Roman camp, check my other stories. This one is something like a prequel to Millennia<strong> of Hatred.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: The same old one._

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you inspire my work!**

Chapter 3

_An hour later…_

"I must talk to you," Reyna said.

"I know," Jason sighed. He was not looking forward to this conversation but he knew it was inevitable. Holy Jupiter, where had all his joy at being home gone?

"Not here," the girl elaborated. The cabin was too crowded and despite, they needed to keep their voices low, as if not to disturb Dakota.

"I am ready," he said immediately, trying to hide his reluctance. Standing in the shadows, Piper grimaced. She was not fond of the idea Jason having any tete-a-tetes with Reyna, especially when he was clearly feeling so apologetic. Reyna might be as cold as a snow queen but she was glamourous in a way Piper did not like at all. It reminded her of Drew back home. Still, there was a major difference. Jason paid no attention to Drew, glamourous or not but it was obvious that he did pay attention to Reyna. Her opinion clearly mattered a good deal to him. Was that another difference to Jason's temper? Was the Roman Jason as susceptible to outer glamour as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood?

Despite her words, Reyna faltered. She slowly turned her head and her eyes bore into Dakota's prone form. He had finally fallen asleep – or lost conscience, Piper didn't know which one. Hazel was sitting next to him and Lily of the Apollo cabin smiled tightly at Reyna, indicating that they had everything under control. Okay, maybe Reyna did care, after all. Jason certainly thought so. "Lily has it under control," he said. "If need be, others can help. I am sure Will also – "

Reyna glared at him so fiercely that Piper blinked. Obviously, bringing the Greeks to Reyna's attention was not a good idea, no matter all that stuff about unity and cooperation that she had blubbered in front of her fellow campers.

"Come on," she said, determinedly turning her back on the bad and its inhabitant.

Jason followed. One look behind his shoulder assured him that no, there wasn't any impending Greek-Roman quarrel hanging in the air right now. Everyone was still getting used to the new situation, too shocked to pick a fight. It wouldn't last long, though. He needed to make things clear with Reyna as soon as possible.

Silently, they went to her cabin, ignoring all those who looked at them curiously, trying to deem whether the old Grace-Archer union had fallen apart. Jason noticed that she had not taken the cabin he had been entitled to as a praetor. Instead, they went to the old cabin she had held as his second in command. There was a bottle of water on the table but Reyna did not drink. She did not offer him either, although they were both thirsty. Right now, everything would taste bitter.

"Why, Jason?" Reyna finally asked and the toll the last hour had taken from her showed clearly on her pale face.

"It was his idea," Jason said.

"Why did you go along with it? You must have known that it couldn't go unnoticed, that we'd be forced to implement a punishment."

Jason shrugged. "It was his idea," he repeated. "And it sounded like a good idea at the time. We can't lose time in discussing and negotiating _whether_ the Greeks should be allowed here and should we collaborate. The issue is _how_ we do this."

Reyna was silent. She knew he was right but she still wished there had been another way. Then her eyes narrowed again. "Why did you need Kota to take you through the ward?" she asked suspiciously. She should have realized that this was an issue, too, and much earlier at that. Some praetor she was! She already knew the answer and was not surprised in the least when Jason started fidgeting.

"The ward…" he started.

"Yes?" she prompted and saw, with malicious content, just how anxious he was. Well, she had said the words that had had Dakota bleeding all over and she couldn't even heal him with her powers or give him some nectar – it was strictly forbidden with punishment. Surely Jason could say the words that would have their whole world shattered.

"The ward didn't let me in," he finally said.

"It didn't deem you a true Roman anymore," the girl stated flatly and he nodded.

"It isn't what you think, Reyna," he said urgently, trying to make her understand. "They aren't so different from us. They took me in…"

"Sure," she agreed coolly, "not different at all."

Okay, maybe that was a bad illustration. Jason looked around, thinking what he should say next.

"They aren't our enemies, Reyna."

A perfect golden eyebrow rose. "_Our?_ You mean that there is still _our_?" she asked.

"Go to Pluto, Reyna!" he finally exploded. "You know perfectly well that I never asked for any of this to happen. You know that Juno snatched me and planted me there, don't you? You have to know. So why are you making it look like I went merrily on my way and came back just to ruin it all for all of you?"

A slight smile touched her lips. "Now, _that's_ you," she said. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "I'm sorry, Jason," she said, her voice softer. "It's just… it isn't easy for me either. I never asked to be a praetor, they just proclaimed me, I had to take over without being ready and I… I figured everything would be easier if planned in advance."

He smiled back, gratefully. "And we weren't planned." It was not a question.

She smiled again, more confidently. "No, you weren't. I knew one day you'd come but we weren't prepared. And I certainly hadn't planned on everyone learning everything at the same time, immediately after your arrival."

He stood up and unsheathed his gladius. "I am still the same person I was before, Reyna. I haven't changed, not truly. I am still loyal to this camp, and Lupa, and all of you." He looked at the blade and raised it high. "I swear it in my sword."

She looked curious but only said, "Very well. I take your oath. We'll see what decisions will be made about the future rule of this camp, though." In truth, she was more than willing to hand him back the reins. Being the one in charge was not an easy task, as this day had proved, and she was not sure she could rise to it. She was not even sure she _wanted_ to rise to it. It was nice to have their leader back, even if he was not entirely himself.

_Damn it, life was so simple just a few months ago, _she thought_. I thought we had saved the world and we could have something like a life, for a change. I should have known we couldn't be in such luck. We are demigods. Still, I bet there weren't many heroes who were called to save the world _twice.

"Jason." Her mouth was suddenly dry. "We'll have to live with them, won't we?"

"Yes," he said quietly, "we will."

She'd known what he would say. But his uncompromising, honest answer robbed her of any last shreds of hope. They couldn't just save the world along with the Greeks and then each group goes on its way trying to forget the other one existed. They would have to learn to communicate, to make room in their lives for each other, to adapt new ways. And to a girl who had been taught from the tender age of five that the Roman way was the only way that could be quite scary. She averted her face briefly, and he too looked away, not willing to watch the death of a lifelong system of beliefs.

"I'd better go now and check on him." She gave him a smile so pained that he winced. "You should come too and we should talk to your new… friends."

When they went back to the infirmary, Dakota still hadn't stirred. Gwen and Hazel had managed to prepare a cabin for the Greeks and Gwen came to tell that to Jason and Reyna. She hugged Jason in untypical show of emotions and he hugged her back, feeling, for a first time in hours, that he was holding to something real, amid all these eerie experiences. Reyna noticed the girl who had come to stand close to him, the daughter of Venus. The one who had looked so accusing during the punishment, as if she cared for Dakota more than they did. Reyna shot her a mean look and Piper reciprocated.

Jason missed this exchange because he was looking at Dakota, at the fresh blood seeping through his bandages.

"Come on," Gwen told the Greeks, "I'll show you your place."

Will, Malcolm, and Chris Rodriguez stood up immediately, eager to leave. Leo followed more slowly because he still wasn't sure Jason wouldn't need him and his battle tools. Clarisse was even more reluctant because she smelled a good battle coming and hated to miss it. But they all left. Piper dragged in the rear and fumed inwardly when she saw Jason patting Reyna's shoulder awkwardly. But she left without looking back, so she did not see Reyna going to the bed and Hazel immediately standing up, relinquishing her place near Dakota. Carefully, Reyna sat next to him and stroked his hair – strong enough to let her caress enter his dream but not enough to wake him. He opened his eyes briefly, gazed at her, then placed his head in her lap, curled his arm around her waist and fell back asleep. She sat there, stared at the blood streaks and tried to estimate how many days there would be before he recover. She winced at thinking of the pain he would be in once he woke up. But there had been nothing else for her to do. That was the Roman way.

* * *

><p><strong>A. N. So, that is the end of the story. The sequel is called Millennia of Hatred and takes place a few days later.<strong>


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